The exposure of polymeric composites to thermal loading is a ubiquitous problem that leads to the degradation of mechanical properties, reducing the service life of an engineered structure, and potentially premature, catastrophic modes of failure. In the current paper, an experimental study is presented in order to investigate the effect of thermal exposure on the crushing performance of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) composite tubes. Specimens of rectangular tubes are subjected to thermal exposure at 90, 120, 150 and 180 °C before being crushed under quasi-static loading. The results showed a reduction in the peak load by increasing the aging temperature up to °C, which is followed by an increase in the peak load at 150 °C, due to post-curing. For the energy absorbed and the specific energy, a sharp reduction is recorded (up to 70% reduction) due to thermal aging. These results showed that the effect of thermal exposure on crashworthiness needs more attention during composites' design, especially for transportation applications.
Keywords: composite tubes; crushing; energy absorption; thermal exposure.